Agents Seize More Than $13.6 Million Worth of Marijuana

Release Date:

December 6, 2010

Edinburg, Texas - U.S. Border Patrol agents in the Rio Valley Sector seized more than 17,000 pounds of marijuana in multiple, unrelated seizures this past weekend.

The seizures occurred across the Rio Grande Valley from Brownsville to Rio Grande City and north to the Falfurrias and Sarita Border Patrol checkpoints. The Falfurrias Checkpoint seized the majority of the contraband with over 8,700 pounds of marijuana. The Sarita Checkpoint also kept busy netting nearly 3,000 pounds of marijuana.

In two other noteworthy events, agents assigned to the Rio Grande City Border Patrol Station seized more than 2,400 pounds of marijuana, valued at more than $1.9 million, along with two pickup trucks. In one of the incidents, agents working near Escobares, Texas were able to confront the subjects at the river as they were loading the bundles into a pickup. Inside the truck the agents found 74 packages of marijuana weighing more than 900 pounds.

In conjunction with the marihuana seizures agents were able to arrest several individuals and confiscate the vehicles used in the smuggling attempts. All told, the agents of the Rio Grande Valley sector seized more than $13.6 million worth of contraband..

"The Falfurrias Checkpoint continues to rank as one of the top checkpoints in the nation for the seizure of narcotics," Acting Chief Patrol Agent Armando Mercado Jr., said. "Thanks to the hard work and dedication of Border Patrol agents in the Rio Grande Valley Sector, more than 8 tons of marijuana were kept from reaching the streets of our communities."

U.S. Customs and Border Protection is the unified border agency within the Department of Homeland Security charged with the management, control and protection of our nation's borders at and between the official ports of entry. CBP is charged with keeping terrorists and terrorist weapons out of the country while enforcing hundreds of U.S. laws.